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South Korea in coming years will possess its own missile shield, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said on Friday (see GSN, Feb. 1).

The South is working toward an initial defense architecture and will implement the antimissile web "within the next few years," the Xinhua News Agency quoted Kim as telling South Korean lawmakers.

Kim's remarks came after North Korea carried out its promised long-range rocket launch. Though the North's declared attempt to place a satellite into orbit was spectacularly unsuccessful, it did demonstrate Pyongyang's continued interest in long-range ballistic missile technology (see related GSN story, today).

The South Korean military one year ago declared its intention by 2015 to wrap work on a missile shield capable of shooting down short- and medium-range missiles fired from the North (see GSN, April 12, 2011; Xinhua News Agency/China Daily, April 13).

April 13, 2012

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South Korea in coming years will possess its own missile shield, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said on Friday.